WINCHESTER, Ind. — Two young Republicans knowledgeable about agriculture are running on Tuesday for the GOP nomination for District 33 state representative.

Incumbent Greg Beumer, R-Modoc, is retiring.

The winner will face Winchester Mayor Shon Byrum, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Republicans John (J.D.) Prescott and Jenae Horn Blasdel are only 26 and 31 years old, respectively.

The district includes Portland, Winchester, Selma, Albany, Farmland, Parker City, Cowan, Dunkirk, Redkey, a small area of southeast Muncie, and the addresses of Beumer, Blasdel (Bryant) and Prescott (Union City).

Neither of the Republican candidates has held or sought public office before, though Blasdel is the Jay County Republican Party chairwoman and Prescott worked on Mike Pence's campaign for governor.

"I believe my work-business experience is the biggest difference between my opponent and myself," Prescott told The Star Press. "I farm 3,000 acres with my family and know firsthand what it takes to keep small businesses growing in our community."

He is a graduate of Winchester Community High School, while Blasdel has a degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University.

A homemaker, Blasdel formerly worked at the Portland Foundation as a substitute teacher, as a legislative intern for the Indiana State Republican Senate Caucus, then as a field director for its campaign committee, and at a large farming operation in Michigan.

"I also have battled brain cancer and the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy," she wrote in a statement. "I have experience with the health system in Indiana."

Prescott has been endorsed by Indiana Farm Bureau's political action committee AgELECT; Indiana Hardwood Lumberman's Association; Muncie firefighters and Delaware County emergency medical services. He also has a "pro-gun" rating from the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR).

Blasdel earned a National Rifle Association Aq rating, meaning a pro-gun candidate whose record is based on responses to a questionnaire and who doesn't yet have a voting record. NAGR is a rival of the NRA and views itself as the "conservative alternative" to the NRA. Blasdel also has the Farm Bureau endorsement. She also has been endorsed by former State Rep. Bill Davis, R-Portland.

Blasdel says her strong involvement in the community allows her to understand "the joys and struggles of the district.""

She went on, "My priorities if elected are to vote in the best interest of the people of HD 33. Our mostly rural district and smaller urban areas need someone with an understanding of agriculture, rural economic development, and the impacts of a shrinking population. I plan to be a strong voice for their issues and concerns at the Statehouse."

Prescott's priorities include economic development and representing his social and fiscal conservative values at the statehouse, but his two biggest goals are expanding high speed internet access throughout rural communities and workforce development.

In a show of transparency, Prescott included his personal cell phone number in direct-mail campaign advertisements.